Towards Our Future
by Yusei
Summary: This is what fate had hidden all along, this is where destiny had brought them as a unit. Deceit and betrayal stained his body, just like the sins that stained theirs. Signers’ POVs, slight Jack x Carley. Oneshot inspired by the title for 64.


**Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's - Towards Our Future**

~ by Yusei ~

_**Summary -** "__Inspired by the title for 64. Standing opposite their true enemy wielding the strongest Earthbound God, the Signers can see the end of their fight over the horizon. Signers' POVs, slight Jack x Carley_".  


___**Disclaimer - **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's or any of the characters._

_**A / N - **The idea of a (once-speculation) oneshot came after the title of Episode 64, which really inspired me, giving the impression that the end of Season 2 comes in just a few weeks. This was started before a scan about the duel in 62 - 64 had come to my attention, adding Crow into the equation. The idea of white as a colour for Wiraquchasca comes from Wiphala where it seems the colour scheme for the Earhbound Gods derives from; seemingly leaving only a darker blue or white. Regardless of how this differs from the anime's version of the duel ahead, this has been posted because it focuses on what could run through the Signers' minds and what has led them to face Godwin. Please read and review._

* * *

- TOWARDS OUR FUTURE -

**J a c k ' s ~ P O V**

So this is what we had come to face, this was the _Mekai no Oh_ we had been informed of during out reunion. This was the man I was to blame for Carley's death, _he_ had been the one to guide her into the darkness blindly. All she had wanted was a chance to grow close to me, to dive into a war she did not belong in the hopes of a real life. She had sacrificed herself in hope; I wouldn't allow her passing to be meaningless. Of all people, _this_ man stood before us as the true being from Hell, the one who had convinced Carley that the world would be better off dying for us to rule. The mere sight of him sickened me, he had done nothing but curse each of us; I wouldn't stand for it.

I may not be King anymore, but I'll fight with every ounce of power I have held in my life. On Carley's behalf. My eyes shifted to Yuusei standing beside me; he had faced someone he cared for, he had lost his parents because of the will this man held. He was the same as I. Behind us the others stood; Izayoi, Crow, Ushio, Mikage, the twins - Rua and Ruka, their names I think. The allies banded together against the final obstacle that blocked our lives from moving forward. What would I do when this was over? I don't know; there are still matters ahead to sort, perhaps Yuusei and I can duel again with the title of King on the line - without his friends held captive by Godwin. Mutual terms. Something I hadn't experienced for what seemed like weeks and months.

Ever since duelling Yuusei in the Fortune Cup final, the threat of death had lingered over me, over _us_. All because of one man - _this_ man. A flame burned in my sharp violet eyes, I had my inspiration, my means to fight. And Red Demon Dragon would share that power with me; we would fight as we had in the years since I had come across it. Revenge swelled within my heart, despite what Yuusei had said in the helicopter on our way to this battleground.

"Don't let hatred rule your heart; you would be sinking to the level of the Dark Signers that could not be reasoned with. Kiryu wasn't like that. Your friend - Carley right? - she wasn't like that".

That was when I learned that Carley and Yuusei had met, briefly but nonetheless, he had encountered the girl I had felt for like no other. The girl who had defrosted my heart and unleashed what I had discarded two years before our meeting. My eyes rose to the immense being overhead, the final Earthbound God - _Wiraquchasca_. The final God hovered in the form of a massive condor, blue markings matching those that had shone from the bodies of the previous Gods, markings of white running across its massive body. Godwin had been expecting this to come; there weren't merely five Earthbound Gods, there had been six lying ahead - another secret he had been keeping from us. I highly doubt he had been expecting a seventh in the Killer Whale geoglyph that had appeared some time after the first duel had come to an end. The duel that I had learned Crow had partaken in; that reckless fool.

All those duels were in the past, we had each confronted the demons that lied within the Dark Signers; they had all passed on, to where their souls should have been free to travel when they died the first time. Tough fates handed to undeserving people, people we had known as humans, as friends. My eyes rose sharply to the monster on my field; Red Demon Dragon. The embodiment of my soul, the monster that bared my scars and feelings, we were one and we would fight together as such. Stardust had yet to appear, the closest to a partner Red Demon would experience. I glared at the man ahead; of all people, we were facing _him_. The traitorous bastard. Rex Godwin, the man who spoke of being the 360th Star Guardian was the Underworld King? Looks like the guy brought the path full circle; we were back at the ancient war he spoke of.

We'd only just reunited; the others remained in the dark about what happened during the duel in the Hummingbird geoglyph, just as I did theirs. All we knew was that each Dark Signer had fallen; including Rudger. Seems Yuusei's recklessness had yet to pas, he had chased after the man into the depths of Old Momentum after finishing his duel with Kiryu. The cold wave that had passed through me during that duel had yet to be explained, though the fact that Yuusei stood beside me convinced me that it was nothing to worry about. Behind us, the spectators were silent, most likely gazing at the impressive God hovering above us, looking down on us like nothing. This was the final barrier, the final veil of darkness before we would pass through into light.

But even then, Godwin had explaining to do. The same could be said for the entirety of Yliaster; they had supplied half the answers we needed, we would get the other half even if I had to beat the hell out of everyone working under the name. Especially if they had been aware of why lied ahead. Our jobs couldn't be fulfilled entirely until we could be sure there weren't any secrets that threatened our belief that we could move on and live again. This could only be the first step in ending everything.

This was my atonement. This was the only way I could make up for abandoning my friends two years ago. I could recompense leaving Carley alone in the City; if there were another opportunity, I'd bring Divine to the brink of death, perhaps push him over. How dare that decide to play God with an innocent girl, how dare he interfere with the battle we fought simply to gain Izayoi as his own again. Was that man brain dead? With everything that was happening, he was still concerned with himself and regaining control of Izayoi, just like Rudger had decided to play God with our parents and everyone else that had died as a result of Satellite separating from the City. Just like this bastard who had _led_ the darkness to influence him.

The Yuusei Project was just a result of wanting feed Death and slather its scythe in blood. Yuusei's father couldn't be aware that he was merely beginning the chain of events that would lead us here; even when he realized how dangerous things had come to pass. Even when he wanted to bring an end to the project, he had no control over that choice. He had never truly had control over the Yuusei Project. But now, _we_ could gain control of fate, _we_ would push forward and bring this Condor Earthbound God to its demise. Just as it had desired Death to descend upon us. Red Demon and I would fight with everything, we had been pawns the entire time, our presence in Neo-Domino had nothing to do with duelling ability; it was a trigger. One to lead Yuusei after us, one to gather the Signers, one that had been decided by someone else.

This is where I break free and decide my own life, just as I said to Carley; fate meant nothing. _I_ decided what would be my path after Wiraquchasca would die. One girl had moved my heart, far enough to admit it. I would live for the both of us, walking to the sun that would rise just as she had done, to the bright future.

What Yuusei and Ruka and Izayoi chose to do would be after the fall of this evil heir choice, moving in whatever direction they chose. Perchance we could all live in the City, the place that would unite with Satellite for the first time in seventeen years, our parents would be done justice. Were they watching us? Were they proud of how we had fought and watching us stand before the final key in this reign of terror and darkness? I glanced over my shoulder at Crow, that redhead who had been there for years, the uneducated boy that Yuusei and I crossed a few years after we had begun to learn how to walk, how to talk. Even in Satellite there were aspirations, dreams for the future that had sparked from each of us. Those dreams had come together within Yuusei and I, we would bring Satellite's hopes of a true life to fruition.

We could give children a real childhood in the place of what we had to deal with; while Martha was a wonderful foster mother, we survived on bare minimums while others our age - others like Izayoi - could truly live like a child should. My hand rose in front of my chest, clenching tightly into a fist, without the protective layer of my gloves, the grip would have been enough to pierce the skin of my palm and draw blood. Whatever cards I drew, I would use. Whatever strategy I thought of, I would play. Whatever it took to bring down Wiraquchasca to its demise, I would execute.

That was my vow to the Signers, to those standing behind me. Those I could feel in my heart I could call my friends. To our parents and everyone else who had unjustly perished in Zero Reverse, all because of one decision. And of course… to Carley, it was my solemn vow to her. To eliminate the force that had poisoned her heart with darkness and forced her against us - against _me_.

That would be the atonement I would pay, my way to apologize to her for tearing her from this world. I had heard that Dark Signers could live as usual - Misty Lola was the one that Carley mentioned. Hot tears stung my eyes as I regarded Red Demon, tears I refused to shed in front of everyone, those that I hadn't been able to shed after Carley vanished in my arms. I would never let her go. I would fight for her. _Our promise_.

* * *

**A k i ' s ~ P O V**

The air within the vast chamber that possessed the towering structure known to us as the Sky Temple was crisp with the lack of occasions it had been used. The appearance of the final Earthbound God had seized everything; threatening to absorb the souls of the non-Signers with us; Ruka and I had felt our Birthmarks burning terribly in the presence of the God, combining to create a shield around everyone unlike any that had materialized in the past; this was protecting everyone. Protecting them from the harsh truths that we had come to face.

Looking across at the Underworld King, Divine came to mind. The man that had showed my love and care that had been using me. Even when he returned and everything that had been said seemed to vanish. But like the man opposite, he was simply a traitor. Close by, Yuusei and Jack's friend - Crow, I believe - shuffled anxiously.

"I should have known that Godwin couldn't be trusted" he sighed bitterly. "_This_ must have been what he was planning back at Old Momentum; he told me to inform Yuusei that he would be waiting if he was able to defeat Rudger. Maybe he had been planning to use sacrifice Yuusei by leading him into a trap, it's a good thing he knows his priorities".

"He said that?" I gasped, surprised by what he stated; the events of the other Signers' duels were a mystery to me; I had been the last to duel. The last to overcome the demons that had been stalking me for about ten years.

My fists tightened; someone else we had trusted had turned out to be nothing more than lying scum, he falsely made Yuusei the promise in finishing the construction of Daedalus Bridge knowing that he was planning to use Yuusei as a sacrifice in order to gain the Birthmark of the Condor and become the true final enemy. And that was just _if_ he had set his sights on using Yuusei; Ruka would be a far easier target, but _he_ had been able to tap into the core of a Signer's power. Both he and Jack; they were the duellists most prepared to face Godwin.

"He did" Crow added with a nod. "He told me about what happened between him, Rudger and Yuusei's father. Then told me to tell Yuusei the words that he would be waiting and the door closed behind him. Seems he raced back here while you and Jack were duelling".

My amber eyes flared in hatred, that one man had been solely responsible for all the torment people had endured, he had put our lives on the line… and for what? What came with being the King of the Underworld? What pleasure did he feel? He had been using his role as the 360th Star Guardian as a guise, he had no intention of leading us to victory; we had been pawns in his game all along, we just had to confront our demons in the Dark Signers that arose, even _they_ were pawns. People like Misty and Kiryu whose lives had been torn apart, who gave into him at the end of their true lives in order to be reborn as servants to his darkness. It sickened me.

And I have suffered because of the Birthmark I bore, because of the power that had come with it. Had he planned for that? I had endured many sorrows, all because I was marked by a force beyond my - then a child - comprehension. My future had been mapped out before me in one swift movement. Like a pen planning out the years ahead on a sheet of paper, someone else had been dictating my life beyond the manner Divine had. Tears burned in my eyes; we had all been in denial for far too long, fed lies throughout months and years. My eyes shifted from Crow to the twins, they were still merely children; children dragged into a war that ones their age were not meant to acknowledge, let alone partake.

The palm of my hand connected with the glowing forearm hanging limply by my side, Godwin smirked as calmly as always. The matter that we had surpassed his guise and uncovered his true intentions seemed to bother him not, he was handling every matter in a professional manner like we had come to expect from a man of his calibre. Adrenaline pumped through my veins at a maddening rate as fury swelled inside of me. Not the nature of hatred that brought out the Black Rose Witch in me, but rage that we had been deceived for so long. We had trusted that man.

My eyelids slid shut momentarily. The scene of standing by Yuusei's side outside of the mansion on the ground floor above previously played within the confides of my mind. The recollection of a peaceful time; the calm of the storm. I had whispered to Yuusei in a hushed tone about how Godwin had captured his friend and used them as bait in order to force Yuusei to participate in the Fortune Cup. An opportunity to use him as a tool with the intention of locating the two Signers whose identities remained secret from him; at least, that's what it seemed.

He had mentioned to Mikage-san how he distributed the three dragon cards Yuusei's father had entrusted to him to the public to locate the three destined to hold the cards. Amongst those was Black Rose Dragon, _it_ had been the lead that allowed Godwin into my status as a Signer; one of the exclusive race. He had been watching us all, acknowledging that Yuusei, Jack and I were Signers alongside his deceased sibling. Only Ruka had escaped his eyes. Temporarily. He gained all the answers he sought.

The same could not be said for us.

Yuusei. Jack. _They_ were the only people capable of ending the madness, _they_ would be the ones to bring Godwin's sick deception to an end. They had been two of those that really suffered from the Godwins' plans, losing their parents, growing up without a true family. Especially Yuusei who should have been in the Tops, thrown to the other end of the chain. Beneath the mask he wore, he clutched onto great burdens that battered his heart. He had been wearing a mask the entire time… just like the one he tore from my face. To expose me as a real person for the world. My eyes rose to the Earthbound God hovering above the ground, a shriek left the dark divinity.

That shriek that would send a chill down my spine, that made me think of the night I faced Misty for the first time. The Lizard and the Hummingbird surrounding the Arcadia Movement. They were people that had suffered and been reborn for a second chance; whether out of revenge or just walk the earth once again. We could only know of five Dark Signers' intention; one remained a mystery. But each had suffered, just as we had. No-one would win this war, everyone had become a casualty. My hand tightened around the arm with the Claw Birthmark burning brightly. This entire ordeal was something I couldn't comprehend. Divine, Godwin, Rudger, what was it they all sought in causing others harm and trying to dominate a place? Just what thrill did one earn in surrendering to the darkness of their heart?

The era of the Black Rose Witch was over, I could barely recall the feel to damage others as I had been. To inflict the pain on others that I had felt. Was _this_ was Godwin was after? Was it something to do with Rudger and Yuusei's father? Before that? Was that what inspired him to fight against the force that had been guiding him in his blood and lie to us all time and time again? That man wouldn't know the word 'truth' if it was written upon his forehead, I was half-expecting for him to admit a new evil lurking beyond him that we had to face. Just to push us further. Were we _ever _going to live beyond being Signers again?

My nails scratched at the fabric of the long glove stretching over my forearm, threatening to tear through and expose the Birthmark I no longer cursed. To show him that I had overcome my demons, that _we_ had overcome our demons. This was our revenge for everything he had inflicted upon us in his bid to become what stood opposite us. _Our fight_.

* * *

**R u k a ' s ~ P O V**

My hands shivered in front of my chest like the temperature had dropped sharply after the appearance of the Earthbound God that glared down upon us. Rua stood by my side, his fists clenched tightly, ready to throw them into the air in the hope that Yuusei and Jack could bring down this final creature. The palms of my hands pressed against each other in the same way they had been when I had returned to find Rua on the brink of death from Cusillu. The Earthbound Gods… they were such terrible creatures; draining the population of Satellite - even a portion of the City - just to rise from the underworld from which they had been born. Their purpose to kill. What kind of gods could be born to kill and nothing more? Why had they risen? In my mind, time began to reverse, back to the departure from the City, seeing Himuro-san, Tenpei and Jii-san waving us with hope. The morning where we had no true comprehension of what lied ahead; Rua and I waving happily. Did we expect that death would be waiting ahead of us? That morning of peace felt so long ago; like we had travelled into a new world, a new time once we stepped onto Satellite soil for the first time. I glanced across at Rua who stood beside me, just like Crow behind the pair of us, he had stepped into a war he knew he had no part in, just to protect someone, to protect me. Risking himself, I hadn't been sure whether to be grateful or to scold him and then thank him. Especially after he had taken not being the fifth Signer so hard, he had been desperate to play a hero, longing to stand as a key figure just as he had seen Yuusei and Jack and Aki-san do so before. I felt for him; we were twins, but I bore something he did not, something he wanted. Despite the risks, he wanted to be me.

"Rua…" I whispered.

He glanced at me, hope sparkling in the golden eyes that were my own. He grinned as though he had seen into the future and predicted that Yuusei and Jack would emerge victorious in the final battle for life and death. The battle that would determine the fate of both Satellite and Neo-Domino, even the people that inhabited both.

"What's the matter, Ruka?" he asked.

"Aren't you worried?" I inquired; my brow creased with worry was enough for his grin to fade at least.

"No way, I know that Yuusei and Jack will do whatever they can to win, they'll stop this last God and bring light back to Satellite. They'll release everyone from the battlefield they have been locked inside" he spoke. His words were deeper than anything I had expected from him; one thing I had noticed from this war, Rua had grown. "I may not be a Signer, I may not possess a Birthmark of the Crimson Dragon like you guys, but I can see what lies ahead in the wish that has been left in your hands. Each of the Earthbound Gods has fallen and with Yuusei and Jack working as a team, there's no way this one will survive".

"You trust those that you've grown close to" I commented with a smile. "You're really grown lately, Rua. I'm glad that you have so much faith in Jack and Yuusei".

"Heh, but of course. I've seen how they both duel, I know that they'll win" Rua chuckled, rubbing the back of his finger against the bottom of his nose.

My worrisome expression lifted, I could feel my lips rise in a smile, a light mirroring Rua's burning in my eyes. What he said was facts, we had observed just how fiercely Jack and Yuusei could fight; Aki-san and I with the memory of their duel over the vision depicting the collapse of Satellite within the spider geoglyph of Rudger's Uru. They each held incredibly powerful dragons; dragons that evolved temporarily in response to their wishes to avoid condemning the Dark Signers they cared for to death. Stardust Dragon, Red Demon Dragon. Savior Star Dragon, Savior Demon Dragon. They were more prepared to face Wiraquchasca than anyone; Ancient Fairy Dragon and I had only recently been reunited in our duel against Demak. Aki-san and Black Rose Dragon still bore scars from the return of Divine, invading her mind and forcing her to duel without her true heart. We hadn't felt the pain in lowering Death's scythe upon our opponents like they had.

What crossed my mind after the sacrifices was the future; would there be another angle to this war that Godwin hadn't mentioned? How would Yuusei and Jack move on from their loses? Where would we go? Would we all be together still? Eventually, fate was bound to split us up, that I was certain of. And it brought a cold emptiness to consume my chest as though eating at my heart. No matter what, I wanted to be with these people forever, I couldn't imagine my life without them; they had given me courage and strength to fight. We had been able to see different sides to each other, learning of each other's pasts. We were bound by the Birthmarks, the wish that the Crimson Dragon had bestowed upon us. But the evil would come to an end; whether it be with this duel playing before us or an extension; it would end.

I shook the thoughts of an end from my mind, just for a moment. I wouldn't depress myself with thinking of separating from my friends; Godwin had promised for the construction of Daedalus Bridge to resume, we could visit each other easier. We would remain in contact, we would always be together. Fate would not split us up. Almost like a vow, I promised myself that I wouldn't allow the potential future to happen, we had been brought together and we should be allowed to stay together. Maybe I was just being selfish, but I felt incomplete without these people I had come to know and love as best friends around.

My eyes rose to the black God with dark blue markings stretched across its body. This would be the end of the war; I was certain, we would finally be permitted to move on in peace, to live together. Maybe Rua and I could convince Crow, Yuusei and Aki-san to move to the Tops with us; days alone could be lonely, even with Rua about. Maybe even Ushio-san could come. We could live in Neo-Domino altogether. I know that Jack, Yuusei and Crow had lived in Satellite for the majority of their lives, but there was so much for them in Neo-Domino. With Daedalus Bridger, their roots could remain in Satellite.

If only that man - the Mekai no Oh - standing so smugly opposite us hadn't influenced Rudger to ruin the Momentum Project Yuusei's father had been working on, we could have all lived together in the full Neo-Domino. Wishing was fine, but I had no power to reverse time and deliver justice for my friends that fought so bravely in front of me. My eyes rose from them, to the being that had the power to control the man standing before us. Maybe it wasn't him, but _it_.

Perhaps it had been _Wiraquchasca_ that had possessed the desire to block the sun with its immense body, to drag Earth into Hell and eliminate us. The way Crow and Yuusei had mentioned Chacu Challhua seizing control over Bommer - the large dark-skinned man who had defeated Rua in my place during the Fortune Cup, who knew such a kind man could become a Dark Signer? - when he had woken from the spell cast over him. But Wiraquchasca alone couldn't control the Mekai no Oh, he wouldn't bear that name if he didn't stand over the other Dark Signers; he had chosen the path of darkness. Just like Rudger spoke of when he repeated his recollection of the incident seventeen years ago, he had been fighting, asking his younger brother to gather us. He had been fighting the darkness that had consumed him when he pleaded that Rex Godwin gathered the Signers to defeat him.

In that moment, I had pitied the tanned man, but hatred swelled in my heart still. Perhaps it hadn't been entirely his fault that his initial descent had occurred, but when he slipped under Death's scythe, he had dragged Yuusei with him. Whether descending into the wondrous light that had been labelled _'the Gateway to Hell'_ counted as Yuusei's death when he stood before us once again or not was something I wasn't about to ponder. What mattered was he was here, he was fighting. We could be a team. After all, a dragon without a tail is something that never crossed my mind. I pressed the palms of my hands against each other, the memory of the sunlight emerging through the clouds of this morning, standing between Rua and Yuusei in front of Ancient Fairy and Regulus; it was something I never wanted to forget, even if Ushio would be laying behind us having passed out from disbelief at seeing the creatures whose true existences he had questioned before us.

Ancient Fairy's return was like a beckon of hope in the stormy night at sea we had endured, losing people we cared about. And when Yuusei descended into the light of the whirlpool of Momentum… I truly felt as though he had been claimed just as the Dark Signers had, that Rally had given up his life for a man who was destined to die anyway. Rua shed my tears, crying out for Yuusei, claiming sorrowfully that the man we considered to be like an older brother had died no matter how much it tore at his heart to consider it. But he had been returned, just as Ancient Fairy Dragon. There was hope.

We had all suffered; we would overcome our pain together. I watched the field ahead eagerly, Red Demon Dragon floated in front of the blonde former King that Rua had long admired as an idol, an inspiration for duelling. Stardust had yet to emerge on Yuusei's field, he was setting up to Synchro Summon the dragon he frequently used after obtaining it just before the Fortune Cup, the time when the wheel of fate began to turn faster, bringing us together as a unit. He had spoken of how the dragon once represented hope in Satellite; I prayed it would carry out its role once again in shining hope upon the final battle. I glanced over my shoulder at Aki-san, she had fought the shimmering dragon twice before, unable to truly destroy it each time. She had suffered more than anyone before the duels that claimed the Dark Signers, then the two with active Duel Disks, laying monsters to pummel the Underworld King - a man who I could have never expected to stand opposite as an enemy - had surpassed her current pain. After all, she had regained her parents and love while they lost someone they truly held close to their hearts. Having returned to the duel between Rua and Demak when I did, I thanked God that I had come in time to avoid losing him; I would never get over that. Were they going to feel the same agony in trying to accept they had lost people they loved?

'Yuusei… Jack… You can do it. I know you can, I believe in you'. Those were the words flowing through my mind, because I _truly believe._ The sun would shine down on Satellite again; we would reunite with our friends waiting for our return. Wiraquchasca would fail in its endeavour to claim the world as its own and the Crimson Dragon would rid the surface of the planet of that horrid condor-shaped god. Life would triumph over death, the light of the future that shone down endlessly. I gripped Rua's hand, smiling at the teenage men standing with their backs to us. _Our hope_.

* * *

**Y u u s e i ' s ~ P O V**

My eyes narrowed hatefully on the sight of Rex Godwin standing opposite us; his unusual attire reverted my mind to his elder brother - the Fifth Signer; Rudger Godwin. So the brothers were in the war together; just as Rudger claimed he demanded Rex to gather the Signers to overthrow him, Rex had been working for us to overthrow him? From his back, the biggest of all shocks; the purple glow from the Condor Birthmark forged into his skin as a result of the ritual he had performed. A tower of light had almost engulfed the mansion in which he had spoke of the legend that he had guided us through; the site of the Sky Temple where we each heard of the true extent of the Signer war. At least… what we believed.

The very man that had been leading us along the road of light that we rode alone during the Fortune Cup final had actually been the darkness waiting for us at the end; was all of Yliaster like this? Jack scoffed, drawing my attention to him.

"So, this is what we've come to face, eh Yusei?" he commented, while his bore a hollow smile, his eyes burned with rage beyond any I had seen. This wasn't the Jack Atlus I was accustomed to; this was a Jack Atlus born from the war of Signer and Dark Signer, he had changed drastically.

"It seems" I mumbled blandly.

His words sounded unfazed by the revelation, yet everyone had been shaken by the stunning twist of events. Rex Godwin - the man who claimed to be the 360th Star Guardian, the man who had gathered the four Signers standing together, the man whose brother bore the Head Birthmark and demanded we defeat him as he came to be the leader of the Dark Signers - had been the man who had chosen to perform the ritual to unleash the King of the Underworld. And to use his own brother's last remaining life… The arm was no more, but for him to attempt to sacrifice Jack or Aki or Ruka, my blood boiled. Just how far were these people willing to go in order to end this war with the death of the dragons?

This had been a man whose home we had stayed in after hearing the truth about the Dark Signers. Did Rudger know he would be the one? The man who gathered us and led us to fight against the Dark Signers, _he_ had been standing behind us, waiting to stab us in the back. And what his betrayal meant went beyond merely becoming our enemy; what did that mean about my father and Rudger?

He may have not been the one to bring harm upon my father, he hadn't called for the death of my father, but he had been there. Over his shoulder the entire time, seemingly Rudger had not been the only one infected by darkness. He had been the one that would stab my father in the back following Rudger's attempts to be rid of him; the man who my father entrusted Black Rose, Stardust and Red Demon Dragon to, Was that what the Yuusei Ryuushi did to people; poison them with dark choices? Momentum had been a devious mistress the entire time. One that had claimed the lives of my parents, of hundreds of people and left the survivors like myself, Jack and Crow in Satellite without hope of salvation. _He_, too, had been amongst the ruins that were Satellite, had he been the one to escape over Daedalus Bridge; the man Crow idolized?

The two monsters set on my field were two that fulfilled the requirement for the summoning of my Signer Dragon: Stardust. I would show Rex just why that being had returned into the hands of a Fudo, just _why_ I had been chosen as a Signer. Stardust had been a beacon of hope in the past, filling the streets with light in the race to test out the first D-Wheel I constructed, filling the eyes and hearts of my friends with joy and hope. Rally, Blitz, Taka, Nerve. They had said with me even after the truth that my father had been partially responsible for Zero Reverse reached them. They hadn't abandoned me and I wouldn't abandon them, just as I wouldn't abandon anyone standing opposite Godwin. His words had been hollow from the beginning, he had no intention of rebuilding Daedalus Bridge; he had no intention of assisting us in ending the reign of darkness. He had been waiting for his brother and the other Dark Signers to fall… and for what, to continue where his brother had ended. He had gained the power of both Signer and Dark Signer by using his brother's arm as a sacrifice. He was the embodiment of darkness in this Signer war. Had his brother influenced this?

My eyes narrowed sharply, fury gushing through my veins just as the blood that flowed throughout my body. Seventeen years of pain was bottled up, ready to unleash itself against him, the man who had spoke of nothing but the past and false words of the future. Lies… something we had all become accustomed to; Jack living under the wing of Godwin, Aki believing the Arcadia Movement had been a sanctuary, Crow believing that the event that had claimed the lives of his parents had been an accident, Mikage-san who had been working under Godwin without any idea what he was planning. Even Ushio had suspected a conspiracy happening within the walls of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau, even the name was merely an alias for Yliaster to thrive within the borders of Neo-Domino.

Each of us had been fed the lies we had naïvely believed as truth, each of us had suffered because of lies. Now we had finally found a time to stand and fight back. Together.

"Godwin!" I called to the deceptive man. "You've been leading us down a path to this point, concealing the shadows around us with your body. But you've forgotten just how far we've come on our own. We're not going to lose to you having progressed so far through this war, we _won't_ fall to you. And I'll show you just how we intend to do it".

Godwin lifted an eyebrow as though he had barely been listening, the neutral expression that had shifted hideously into a dark leer directed at our existences had softened into the usual colourless face we had come to expect of him. No wonder he had been so calm throughout the past weeks, he had known this was coming.

"Yuusei… just how do you intend to destroy the strongest of Earthbound Gods? With your dragons?"

The sound of his voice sent another wave of fury through me, he was still talking like nothing had deviated from his plan, like he was still certain to reign victorious over us. I glanced across at Jack and Red Demon who glared in the direction of Godwin. Both of our dragons had surpassed the level in which they had been for five-thousand years, they had gone beyond where Black Rose, Ancient Fairy and Power Tool dragon had reached. They had become _Savior Dragons_ in our duels; perhaps there was another way to push them to a new level, would a combination to form our ultimate dragon be possible? Without Ancient Fairy and Black Rose on the field, it was us and our dragons left to fight; Aki and Ruka were doing all they could by standing behind us and protecting the allies missing a Birthmark. Preventing them from becoming sacrifices to the hungry Underworld God.

"Our dragons are what make us Signers, we _will_ use them to end this war" I replied furiously. "And it starts right here. I'm tuning my Level 3 Junk Synchron with my Level 3 Shield Warrior and Level 2 Bolt Hedgehog!"

The process of tuning began. Over my shoulder, Rua's howl of exhilaration; the spectators had already discussed the total of eight levels combining to give birth to the dragon I had indirectly claimed to summon. Regardless of what ran through the mind of Godwin and what Wiraquchasca would think - seeing as Earthbound Gods seemed to possess minds of their own after witnessing what happened in Crow and Bommer's duel before later hearing the same happening to Carley in her duel against Jack - I began the chant that accompanied the summoning each time I played the creature, laying its card onto my Duel Disk. Every pair of eyes seemed to lock onto the light, all bar Red Demon who continued to glare at its enemy.

"_Clustering hopes, will become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Take flight, Stardust Dragon!!_"

Through the light, the shimmering dragon rose in an aura of white and cobalt, shrieking as it appeared in the final bout. My fist clenched tightly beneath the tail that swan over my head after the dragon lowered itself parallel to the partner dragon.

"Godwin; _this_ is what we believe in. We're going to fight back with everything we have, not just our dragons. But _everything_. Stardust, Red Demon, Ancient Fairy, Black Rose, even Power Tool; they're going to fight back against you. Even if you hold the Fifth Dragon" I yelled, everything was coming together. "_You_ have chosen to become the enemy by using your brother just as he used you; at the same time, you've used us all, some more than others. And now you've brought the fight to the Sky Temple, the place where you told us everything we believed to be the truth. We're here for answers, we won't give up and no matter how much of the truth we're lacking, you're not going to win because you have those answers. We are _not _pawns in your game of fate, of pitting light and darkness against each other; that ends _here_".

Rex watched indifferently, my fist clenching tighter; both dragons capable of bringing down Wiraquchasca had appeared, each important person in the war against Dark Signers that continued to walk the Earth had gathered in front of the Sky Temple, at the gap between the Head and the Tail of the full Birthmark shining from the ground. This was our final barrier to pass, unless Godwin would decide to admit of a further evil, something it seemed everyone was expecting. My brow creased glaring at that monster, the man that had deceived everyone; just how many people in Yliaster and those who believed it was merely the Public Security Maintenance Bureau knew of his intentions to become the King of the Underworld? How many people had he betrayed? How many people had he sacrificed?

My eyes turned to Jack who smirked confidently; just as Wiraquchasca was the strongest of the Earthbound Gods, it seemed Stardust and Red Demon had become the more powerful dragons; these were the strongest creatures that the war had two offer. And we had two Gods on our side.

"Yuusei, let's finish this and move on with our lives" he called, smirking at me in the way I remembered he used to. Not from being King, not from looking down at me. But from those days when we could be friends without worrying about a reputation. I smiled back and gave a nod. The horizon lied just beyond Godwin and his creature, perhaps beyond the Sky Temple and everything to do with the Signers. We would win this battle, this would be the end of our war. And we could move on towards that horizon as friends and comrades.

_Towards our future…_

**- END -**


End file.
